03/25/2011

Nostalgic...

I have been scrolling through old photos recently looking for pictures of some of my sewing projects and while I was doing that I realized two things:

1) we really need to get these pictures out of the computer and into a book

and

2) I still really really miss Jersey City!!!

It has been, hmmm, 19 months since we moved from Jersey City and I still can't seem to stop missing it. Thinking about spring time reminds me of walks to the park that was only a block away, thoughts of summer remind me of the many farmers markets we had within blocks of our apartment and all set up on different days for you to have something fresh almost every day of the week. There are constantly thoughts of the Taqueria we lived above and mostly that is because some of Violet's favorite food has always been Mexican so we crave their tacos and rice and beans weekly!! But looking at the pictures, most of which are of Violet when she was a little baby, it makes me wonder what exactly am I nostalgic for?...Is it all of the things we had at our fingertips: food, music, museums, parks, or is it the idea of simpler easier times filled with early romance, one baby and an apartment that we had just right before the baby came so there was no need for fixes, or yard work...? Probably a little bit of both.

I am not nostalgic for the nighttime and nap time noises of living on the corner of two busy streets. I am nostalgic for the huge windows that made those noises even louder. I miss looking out the windows of our kitchen and bedroom down to the street below to follow all the different people that walked along the sidewalks and listening and watching kids playing basketball at the boys and girls club across the street. And, while sewing at a tiny wooden folding tv tray table is not the most comfortable, it does add some entertainment to your sewing when you get to watch people stumbling down the street on a saturday night. When I think about all of the sewing that I did at that tiny table in front of our huge window I am surprised how many baby gifts I was able to turn out under such uncomfortable circumstances...but, the finished product was always the part that made it worth it.

These pictures of Violet are the ones that really set off my memories because I can remember making each of these things for her in our little apartment and being so proud to see her wearing them! Watching her trying to figure out little plastic eggs in her bunny shirt with the fuzzy tail on the back

or inspecting a pinwheel while wearing a dress made out of two handkerchiefs that cost less then $2

or running down the beach wearing her seagull shirt that had the appliques strategically placed to cover up stains

...yes, I think much of the nostalgia comes from the memory of simpler times... now instead of lazing about on a saturday morning with not much to do there is always so much to do, but it is OURS to do now! If it weren't for our move I wouldn't have my very own cherry tree in my back yard to make me smile throughout the day!!

Or the memory of planting hundreds of bulbs with Violet and now watching her excitement when we see them popping up.

Nope, no more lazing about or take out food whenever I want it, now it's time to read up on ground-cover...

Comments

I have been scrolling through old photos recently looking for pictures of some of my sewing projects and while I was doing that I realized two things:

1) we really need to get these pictures out of the computer and into a book

and

2) I still really really miss Jersey City!!!

It has been, hmmm, 19 months since we moved from Jersey City and I still can't seem to stop missing it. Thinking about spring time reminds me of walks to the park that was only a block away, thoughts of summer remind me of the many farmers markets we had within blocks of our apartment and all set up on different days for you to have something fresh almost every day of the week. There are constantly thoughts of the Taqueria we lived above and mostly that is because some of Violet's favorite food has always been Mexican so we crave their tacos and rice and beans weekly!! But looking at the pictures, most of which are of Violet when she was a little baby, it makes me wonder what exactly am I nostalgic for?...Is it all of the things we had at our fingertips: food, music, museums, parks, or is it the idea of simpler easier times filled with early romance, one baby and an apartment that we had just right before the baby came so there was no need for fixes, or yard work...? Probably a little bit of both.

I am not nostalgic for the nighttime and nap time noises of living on the corner of two busy streets. I am nostalgic for the huge windows that made those noises even louder. I miss looking out the windows of our kitchen and bedroom down to the street below to follow all the different people that walked along the sidewalks and listening and watching kids playing basketball at the boys and girls club across the street. And, while sewing at a tiny wooden folding tv tray table is not the most comfortable, it does add some entertainment to your sewing when you get to watch people stumbling down the street on a saturday night. When I think about all of the sewing that I did at that tiny table in front of our huge window I am surprised how many baby gifts I was able to turn out under such uncomfortable circumstances...but, the finished product was always the part that made it worth it.

These pictures of Violet are the ones that really set off my memories because I can remember making each of these things for her in our little apartment and being so proud to see her wearing them! Watching her trying to figure out little plastic eggs in her bunny shirt with the fuzzy tail on the back

or inspecting a pinwheel while wearing a dress made out of two handkerchiefs that cost less then $2

or running down the beach wearing her seagull shirt that had the appliques strategically placed to cover up stains

...yes, I think much of the nostalgia comes from the memory of simpler times... now instead of lazing about on a saturday morning with not much to do there is always so much to do, but it is OURS to do now! If it weren't for our move I wouldn't have my very own cherry tree in my back yard to make me smile throughout the day!!

Or the memory of planting hundreds of bulbs with Violet and now watching her excitement when we see them popping up.

Nope, no more lazing about or take out food whenever I want it, now it's time to read up on ground-cover...

Welcome...

I'm Jane, thanks for stopping by! I hope you take your time and take a look around...If you do you'll our adventures in sewing, creating, crafting, gardening and exploring...it's what gets us through the day and fullfills us!
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